This invention relates to a shade for use with a child's stroller and more particularly a supplemental shade and carrier apparatus for a canopied child's stroller.
A number of covers for strollers or baby carriages have been developed to protect the child being transported. Protecting covers as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,732,878 and 5,184,865, have been used to protect the baby from insects, bugs, mosquitos and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,756 discloses a raincover for a stroller with a canopy wherein the raincover downwardly extends around all sides of the stroller in skirt-like fashion. Design U.S. Pat. No. Des. 319,202 shows a similar skirt-like stroller cover. A self-supporting frame with a flexible cover sheet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,170. A shade for use with infant car seats is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,030. U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,616 discloses a weather shield for an infant seat having a carrying handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,170 shows a cover which, upon detachment from the stroller, resiles to a straight configuration to form a bundle of elements. The bundle of rods may be coiled for storage in a small pouch or case together with the folded plastic cover. However, the rod sections of U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,170 remain rigid and thereby require a given space to be used during storage of the structure.
None of the cited patents teach or disclose securing the shade or cover to a forward child restraining bar, thereby improving the safety restraint feature of the stroller while still providing adequate shading. By having the shade and carrier apparatus of the present invention attached at the top of the shading panel and at the bottom of the body section to the forward child restraining member, the apparatus wraps around the entire child carrier section.
The present invention utilizes no rigid structural members and may thereby be folded into a very compact, soft configuration for easy transportability and storage. The invention may also be used when a stroller has a reclining function because the flexibility of the fabric body easily conforms to a stroller in a recline position.
Further, the present invention provides adequate shading and protection of a child in the stroller while not having a lengthy, loose skirt extending downwardly close to the wheels of the stroller. The fabric shading section of the present invention does not extend below the seat portion of the carrier section of the stroller thereby eliminating any possible entanglement with the wheels of the stroller.
Further yet, the present invention provides a convenient, closeable pocket accessible from the rear side of the stroller when the shade is in use.